A ball-grid-array component of a ball-grid array assembly is analyzed prior to reflow. A predicted warping pattern of the ball-grid-array component that is likely to occur during reflow is predicted based on the analyzing. A solder ball ball-grid-array defect that could be caused by the predicted warping pattern is predicted. An initial via suction pattern to mitigate the ball-grid-array defect is assigned. A vacuum head is applied to a via in the ball-grid-array assembly. The solder ball is located at the opposite end of the via from the vacuum head. Suction is applied to the via based on the via suction pattern. The suction draws a portion of the solder ball into the via during reflow.

A plasma source comprises a metal member having an inlet and forming a wall that delimits an upstream flow of a processing gas supplied from the inlet, a ceramic member having an outlet and forming a wall that delimits a downstream flow of the processing gas discharged from the outlet, and a power supply device configured to supply a power for plasma generation into a chamber. The chamber includes the metal member and the ceramic member, and is configured to discharge an activated gas generated by producing plasma from the processing gas to the outside of the chamber through the outlet.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a conductive material that allows a low electric resistance to be generated, and that is obtained by using an inexpensive and stable conductive material composition containing no adhesive. The conductive material can be provided by a producing method that includes the step of sintering a first conductive material composition that contains silver particles having an average particle diameter (median diameter) of 0.1 μm to 15 μm, and a metal oxide, so as to obtain a conductive material. The conductive material can be provided also by a method that includes the step of sintering a second conductive material composition that contains silver particles having an average particle diameter (median diameter) of 0.1 μm to 15 μm in an atmosphere of oxygen or ozone, or ambient atmosphere, at a temperature in a range of 150° C. to 320° C., so as to obtain a conductive material.

A method of joining includes applying braze to a braze reservoir in a first component. A second component is engaged to the first component, wherein a joint location is defined between the first and second components. A wicking structure provides flow communication from the braze reservoir to the joint location. The method also includes joining the first and second components together at the joint location by applying heat to the braze to flow the braze from the reservoir through the wicking structure to the joint location to form a braze joint at the joint location.

A surgical instrument and related methods are described. The surgical instrument includes a first jaw including a first structural jaw element and a first sealplate fixed to the first structural jaw element and a second jaw including a second structural jaw element and a second sealplate fixed to the second structural jaw element. The second structural jaw element is moveably coupled to the first structural jaw element to facilitate pinching tissue between the first and second sealplates. The first and second sealplates are configured to facilitate sealing tissue pinched therebetween. The first jaw further includes a metallized tie layer between the first sealplate and the first structural jaw element, wherein the first sealplate is fixed to the first structural jaw element via a metal to metal joint between the first sealplate and the metallized tie layer.

A composite wear pad includes a substrate that is selected from the group of iron based alloys, steel, nickel based alloys, and cobalt based alloys. A hard particle-matrix alloy layer is bonded at a surface to the substrate. The hard particle-matrix alloy layer has a plurality of hard particles dispersed in a matrix alloy. The hard particle-matrix alloy layer has a thickness ranging between greater than about 13 millimeters and about 20 millimeters.

A method for watertight welding, and components formed using that welding method, wherein the welding method includes providing a first component half with a groove and a protruding ridge located therein, providing a second component half with a tenon shaped to match the profile of the groove, disposing the tenon inside the groove such that the tenon contacts the protruding ridge, applying an ultrasonic power source near the groove to melt the protruding ridge, and applying opposing vertical force to the first component half relative to the second component half, such that the protruding ridge wedges in a bonding seam between an outside surface of the tenon and an inside surface of the groove.

This hermetic sealing lid member (1) is made of a clad material (10) including a base material layer (11) made of an Fe alloy that contains 4 mass % or more of Cr and a silver brazing layer (13) bonded onto a surface of the base material layer on a side closer to an electronic component housing member through an intermediate layer (12).

A continuous hot bonding method for producing a bi-material strip with a strong bond therebetween is provided. The method comprises sanding a first strip formed of steel; and applying a layer of first particles, typically formed of copper, to the sanded first strip. The method next includes heating the first strip and the layer of the first particles, followed by pressing a second strip formed of an aluminum alloy onto the heated layer of the first particles. The aluminum alloy of the second strip includes tin particles, and the heat causes the second particles to liquefy and dissolve into the melted first particles. The first particles and the second particles bond together to form bond enhancing metal particles, which typically comprise bronze.

A method for assembling a zirconia part to a titanium element with braze, the method comprising the following steps: coating a surface of the titanium element with a niobium layer, positioning a braze between the zirconia part and the niobium, the braze being of gold or a gold alloy, heating the whole to a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the braze, and then cooling the whole, whereby an assembly comprising the zirconia part and the titanium element assembled by a brazing joint comprising a first portion of gold or a gold alloy, a second portion formed by a reaction layer comprising intermetallics of the AuNbTi system, and a third portion formed by an oxide reaction layer is obtained.